When Worlds Collide
by DinoDina
Summary: Anne has a date tonight, but first she has to survive lunch with the entire extended Weasley family, hosted by her great-grandfathers, Percy Weasley and Oliver Wood. Set several generations into the future, oneshot written for QLFC.


**Written for QLFC Round #7  
** **Team:** Wigtown Wanderers  
 **Position:** Beater 2  
 **Prompt:** Write about a time where wizardkind has gotten so used to Muggle technology that they find themselves using magic lesser and lesser.  
 **Additional Prompts:** 3\. (action) charging an electronic device, 13. (word) batteries  
 **Words:** 2968

 **Thanks to Rose, Kage, and Ash for betaing!**

Anne peered closely at the screen. She'd inherited her father's poor vision, but there was no mistaking the words on the computer.

 _ **Jack:**_ _How does Saturday at 6:30 at the new restaurant in Diagon Alley sound?_

She grinned, typed her answer quickly, and watched.

 _ **Anne:**_ _Yeah, that sounds great!_

 _ **Jack:**_ _Awesome!_

 _ **Jack:**_ _Do you want to meet there, or somewhere else? I can pick you up?_

 _ **Anne:**_ _Let's meet there._

 _ **Anne:**_ _I've got lunch on Saturday at my great-grandpas', but that usually takes a while and there're a ton of us… it would be easier :)_

 _ **Jack:**_ _Cool, no problem! I can't wait!_

After several weeks of conversing with Jack Macmillan over , they had finally planned their first date.

Anne liked Jack. A lot. He was sweet, and kind, and smart, and nice, and whenever he messaged or texted her, she felt a bubble of happiness in her chest and couldn't help smiling. Perhaps it was rushed… but no, many people who met online went on a date within the first few days. She and Jack had taken it almost laughably slow, but they'd gotten to know each other.

It was Wednesday, and she couldn't wait.

She and Jack messaged each other all week, like they usually did. In the morning, Anne went to the daycare she worked at, and came home in the evenings to have dinner with her parents and siblings, who teased her incessantly about the approaching date.

By Saturday, Anne had a dress laid out on the chair near her dresser, and wasted no time in putting it on when she woke up.

"Looking good, Suzie!" Her brother Steven grinned as she walked into the kitchen for breakfast.

Anne scowled. "Don't call me that."

Steven shrugged. "I can't help it if your given name is Suzanne."

"Yeah, but I've been called 'Anne' for the past nineteen years!"

"Now, don't start that!" scolded their mother from where she was laying out the table. "Anne, is your sister up yet?"

"I'm here!" yelled Anne's younger sister, running into the kitchen, still combing her hair. She caught her breath. "No need, mum… I'm here."

"Good," said their father, just coming into the house from the yard. "We're picking up Grandma Molly on the way to lunch, so be ready half an hour earlier than usual."

"So…" Anne's mother turned to her with a smile. "Are you wearing that for your date tonight?"

"Yeah. Lunch always goes on forever, what with there being about a million of us, so I think I'm just going to go to the restaurant from there."

Anne's mother nodded, and that was that. Soon, the five of them were piling into the family car and driving to pick up her grandmother, before making their way to the Burrow, the old Weasley family home.

Anne had been right. There were numerous cars around the house, as well as several brooms in the open shed. The family lunches they had on Saturdays didn't just comprise of one family, or two, or three. The entire extended clan showed up at the old house—her grandmother on her dad's side was a Weasley—all the Weasleys and Potters of her great-grandpas' generation and the three or four additional generations of their descendants.

It was summer, and hot, so while there were tents set up outside, most everybody was still inside. While her family went in to greet their relatives, Anne headed directly for one of the tents, where she took her usual seat at one of the tables. Minutes later, everyone else started piling in—Anne's family must have been the last to arrive.

The younger children were carrying spoons and plates, the slightly older ones carried knives and forks, and the even older ones carried the food itself. With them were their parents, their grandparents, and last of all came the old war heroes, chatting animatedly about their children's achievements.

Anne vaguely recalled learning about them at Hogwarts in History of Magic. It was strange to think that she was related to Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, who had an entire history book dedicated to them.

"Anne!" said her cousin Mary, sitting down next to her with an enthusiastic smile and uncharacteristically putting her phone down. "Your mum told us you're going on a date tonight! Is that why you're all dressed up?"

"Is my romantic life all that interests this family?"

"Ooh, you've got a romantic life! It's not a one-time thing, then?"

Anne laughed. "You're all insufferable. And I don't know yet, it's just our first date."

Mary grinned, patting Anne on the arm and immediately going back to her phone. Anne heaved a sigh of relief, only to hear, "What's this about a date?"

"Hi, Aunt Lucy," Anne said wearily to her grandma's sister. Still, she smiled; her great-aunt meant no harm. "Yes, I've got a date tonight."

"Oh, that's lovely, dear."

Anne nodded as Aunt Lucy went to pick a seat, and the rest of lunch was spent much the same way, talking to relatives about the relative success of her love life and eating. As usual, when lunch was finished, no one was anywhere near ready to leave, so the over-large family dispersed itself throughout the house and yard.

Anne relaxed in her seat just as her phone buzzed.

 _Are we still on for tonight?_

She smiled and opened the text. Jack. Before she could begin typing again, another message popped up on the screen.

 _Sorry if I'm interrupting or bothering you… I just wanted to make sure. I really want to see you tonight._

 _Yeah, definitely still on for tonight._ Anne paused, then sent another message. _I want to see you too._

 _Great. I'll see you tonight!_

Jack's message was followed by a heart. Anne sent a heart back, and her smile widened. She was ridiculous. Still, one didn't find romance every day—never mind the ridiculous amount of couples in her family—so the smile became satisfied.

"Ugh…" she groaned suddenly. "Why's this stupid thing have stupid batteries?"

Happy that she wasn't talking to anyone and thus didn't have to excuse herself, Anne went into the house. There was only one electronic port in the entire house, in the living room, and Anne only hoped that no one had taken it yet.

No one had, she saw when she walked into the living room. The port was blissfully open, and she wasted no time in plugging in her phone. If no treacherous relative was going to take out the charger, her phone would be alright by the time she got away to the date.

"Charging again?" came a voice.

"Hey, Grandpa Percy." Anne turned around. There, on the couch with his husband, was her great-grandpa.

"Hello, Anne."

"Hey, Grandpa Oliver."

"So what's this about a date?" he said with a large smile.

"I have it tonight." Anne sat on a sofa pouf in front of them when they gestured her there. "At the new restaurant in Diagon Alley. Half-past six."

"First date, is it?" asked Percy.

"Yeah," she said. "We've been talking for a few weeks now, and… well. It's been a long time coming, but I think it'll be good."

"And where'd you meet—oh, what's your young man's name?"

Oliver snorted. "No one talks like that anymore, Perce."

"Aw, Grandpa, I think it's sweet," Anne said before they could begin bickering. "His name's Jack Macmillan. We met on wizardsingles."

"Where?" her great-grandfathers said together.

"It's the biggest magical dating website," she explained. "Currently, anyway. It's getting harder and harder to meet people in real life—that's how it advertises—so it sets up people in the magical community."

Percy harrumphed. "You children and your technology."

"Grandpa! The wizarding world has been stuck in the past for _so long_. I mean… _you_ used inkwells, quills and parchment in school! You used candles!" Anne laughed. "And that was the 90s! By then, Muggles had pens and printers and phones, and wizards still used owls! Ever since we've started using Muggle technology, everything's become so much _easier_."

"I'm not arguing with that, Anne," he said in a measured voice as Oliver rolled his eyes. "But the Muggle technology has brought wizardkind backward as well as forward! No one uses magic anymore…"

"You've got a point there," said Oliver. He turned to Anne. "You lot still learn to Apparate in school?"

Anne shook her head.

"We learned in our sixth year—"

"And you were top of the class!" interrupted Oliver.

"Well…" then he nodded. "Yes, I was. I was also top of the class when we learned everything else. Transfiguration, Charms… the curriculum has become less practical now, hasn't it?"

"Well, yes," Anne nodded. "We do a few things. But nothing as complicated as you did. It's just not necessary anymore."

"Hmm." Percy's brow furrowed. "There's no point in exchanging one sort of ignorance for another. Wizards should have combined magic and technology… just imagine that!" He made another annoyed face. "Look what it's become."

"What do you mean?"

"You came here by car. In our time, you would have Flooed or Apparated." Percy let out a huff. "Half of your cousins are buried in their phones and don't come up to say 'hello'!"

"You're sounding a bit cantankerous, dear," Oliver said with a grin.

"Well, I _am_. We both are, we're pushing a hundred this year. Besides, for our first date, we decided to out-romance each other and make flowers, fireworks, and confetti hearts appear at random intervals. _She's_ going to a restaurant."

"What's wrong with a restaurant?" Anne asked, slightly miffed now. She knew her grandpa to be a bit grumpy sometimes, but— "Wait… did you say you can make flowers, fireworks, and confetti hearts just _appear_?"

"We're magic, of course we can!" Oliver laughed. "We fly on brooms, do you think we can't do simple charms?"

"I…" Anne hesitated. "Did you learn that at school?"

"Yes… wait, didn't you?" Percy raised an eyebrow. "What _did_ you learn?"

"Just necessities…"

Oliver laughed. "Random romantic object conjuring _is_ a necessity!"

"Oh, no, it's not!" Percy interrupted. "But it is a vital skill. Not random romantic object conjuring, but the ability to perform various charms and spells, which both increases one's ability to perform magic, and gives one an opportunity to perform it at any occasion."

Anne had never even _seen_ anyone perform magic like this. She knew how to fly a broom—badly—, was considering learning how to Apparate, and knew a bit of magical history. Not much, but not any less than her peers.

"Are we really learning so little?" she asked, suddenly feeling much younger than her nineteen years.

"Well, it certainly seems so," Percy said seriously, though not unkindly. "But we can show you a random romantic object conjuring charm if you'd like. Flowers or fireworks?"

"Oh, but—but I won't have time! I have to be in Diagon Alley at half-past six! I have to leave in twenty minutes, you won't be able to teach it to me in that time." Anne looked at them anxiously; she _wanted_ to learn, now that she'd heard about it, and Jack would most certainly be flattered.

Percy laughed, and, after a second, Oliver did, too. Anne gaped.

"We're not laughing at _you_ ," Percy assured her quickly, seeing her face. "It's just… well, we're wizards. You can Floo directly to the Leaky Cauldron and get into Diagon Alley from there!"

"You… you _do_ know how to get into Diagon Alley?" Oliver asked.

" _Of course I do_!"

"He didn't mean anything by it," Percy said, with a glare at his husband. "But, yes. You can stay here until twenty or twenty-five past six, and then Floo away."

Anne frowned then. "Floo? You said it just now, too, before… is that the fireplace travelling thingy?"

Percy rolled his eyes. "Wizards forgetting what the Floo is… honestly…"

"Yes, it's the fireplace travelling thingy."

"Thanks, Grandpa Oliver."

Anne got out her wand. She rarely used it, relying more on technology, but after the few minutes with her great-grandpas, she was beginning to have second thoughts. Being able to use both magic and technology would be amazing… and though she'd love to be able to do everything they could, she'd start with the fireworks, flowers, and confetti. Then the Floo.

Then the date with Jack.

And then even more magic.


End file.
